Construction began on the new Tivoli Theatre in 1914. By the close of the
year “good progress is being made with the new theatre being erected in Albert-street
on the site of the old Turkish Baths. Architecturally it promises to be an
ornament to Market-square. It should also be a valuable addition to our places
of amusement” (Brisbane Courier 19 Dec. 1914: 13). The new theatre
held a Grand Opening performance on Saturday 15 May 1915 “when Mr. Hugh D.
McIntosh will have much pleasure in presenting to the Theatre-going Public
of Brisbane the Latest Vaudeville Innovation—The Tivoli Follies” (Brisbane
Courier 1 May 1915: 2). According to Nancye Bridges, Hugh D. McIntosh
is “still the most flamboyant showman and promoter Australia has known” (Bridges
12). His role in the Tivoli Circuit certainly made him one of the most influential
figures in Australia’s vaudeville history. The Brisbane Tivoli was situated
on Albert Street; if it existed today it would stand opposite City Hall on
the site of the present King George Square:

"The Tivoli is the latest thing
in theatres. For once there has been an effort to build a theatre to suit
the climate, and first impressions suggest that it has been successful. The
Tivoli is really two theatres—an enclosed theatre, admirably ventilated, and
a roof theatre, which will be a delight in the hot summer nights. Mr. H.D.
McIntosh has spared no expense or trouble, and he has secured something novel
as well as satisfactory. There is a suggestion of Orientalism in the Market-square
front, but the architectural effect generally is striking” (Brisbane
Courier 15 May 1915: 12)

The architect, Henry E. White [1] ,
designed the Tivoli main auditorium to house 1800 people in three levels while
the Tivoli Roof Garden Theatre was built as an open-air venue holding 1200
(Companion to Theatre in Australia 604 and Brisbane Courier 4
May 1915: 5). “The Tivoli’s main auditorium is specially cooled by a large
air plant, which pumps 40,000 cubic feet of ice-cold air through the theatre
every minute” (Brisbane Courier 7 Oct. 1916: 3). Plush ruby carpets
were installed (Brisbane Courier 3 May 1915: 4).

The Tivoli Roof Garden boasted open sides which were designed to let evening
breezes cool the audience while specially designed steel shutters could protect
the audience from rain. According to Australian Variety the Tivoli
Theatre was one of only six theatres in the world to have a roof garden at
that time (Australian Variety 29 Dec. 1915: N.pag.) and it was promoted
as “the Coolest Theatre in Australasia” and the management claimed that it
provided “full protection from inclement weather” (Brisbane Courier 10
Feb. 1916: 2).

One of the attractions of the garden theatre was that smoking was allowed,
“and the modern appointments tend to make the theatre a veritable Eden” (Brisbane
Courier 25 Apr. 1916: 5). McIntosh was always good with self-promotion
and his media contacts assured him a glowing presentation in the press for
the opening of the new theatre:

“This is a real theatre,’ said Mr. Hugh D. McIntosh,
the governing director of the Rickards Tivoli Theatres Ltd., as he walked
through the latest addition to the company’s buildings in Brisbane yesterday,
accompanied by a representative of this journal. It was a snappy, epigrammatic
sentence, characteristic of the man, and it conveyed a great deal; but nevertheless
it would require a column of equally potent sentences to do full justice
to the building which rears its handsome façade upon Albert-square.
(Brisbane Courier 4 May 1915: 5)

When it opened, the Tivoli was unique in Australia for combining two theatres
in the one building; the design allowed for two separate companies to function
autonomously. The building permitted distinct entrances for the audiences
of the two separate theatres. One of McIntosh’s publicity boasts at the opening
of the new theatre was that:

“It is built on what is termed the
intimate plan,” said Mr. McIntosh; “every seat is close enough to the stage
for the occupant to thoroughly appreciate every word and every expression
of the artists. The lighting is all on what is known as the indirect.’ When
complete there will not be one light to shine direct in the eyes, the rays
being softened and diffused until they resemble the sunbeams on a golden summer
afternoon.” (Brisbane Courier 4 May 1915: 5)

McIntosh promoted the theatre as being so good that even the southern cities
would be extremely jealous of Brisbane, “I wish we had it in Sydney; other
people will be imitating this theatre 10 years hence” (Brisbane Courier
4 May 1915: 5). The Tivoli opened on 15 May 1915 with the well-known
Tivoli Follies in the main auditorium and a vaudeville company playing in
the roof garden. Throughout its early history, both venues were used for
live performances as well as films.

The motion picture company Union Theatres Ltd. renovated the Tivoli Theatre
in 1927 using the Sydney architects, Kaberry and Chard; architectural plans
for the reconstruction of the Tivoli Theatre can be found in Building
12 May 1927 [2] . The basic design principle was to
sacrifice the stage for the inclusion of more seats; the live theatre was
being converted into a picture theatre. The two galleries were removed to
make way for a single dress circle, effectively decreasing the seating capacity
1,400 (Treading the Boards 51). Building describes the ornate
chandelier which was a feature of the main auditorium:

The centre of interest is the great
chandelier, which is beautifully managed, but being so low down it takes the
eve off the proscenium, which effect theoretically, is wrong, although this
is frequently the most ornate feature of a theatre’s interior, and is apt
to afford an air of oppression in spite of the grace and glitter of the illumination.
(Building 12 May 1927: 37)

Despite the fact that Building claimed in 1927 that “the theatre business
in Australia would seem to be booming, for not only are new theatres being
built in all the eastern cities and suburbs, but the old ones are being remodelled”
(Building 12 May 1927: 155), the 1920s was not a good time for live
theatre. The ‘remodelling’ to which the magazine refers typically involved
the transformation of a live theatre into a picture theatre. The Tivoli at
this time was almost exclusively used for talking pictures.
More renovations, this time to the foyer as well as the auditoriums took place
in 1935 with the theatre being reopened on 26 December. The Tivoli was purchased
by the Brisbane City Council in 1963 and closed in 1965; it was demolished
when King George Square was constructed.

[1] Henry
E. White was also responsible for designing several picture palaces in Brisbane
in the same year, namely the Strand Theatre and the Majestic Theatre (Australian
Variety 29 Dec. 1915: N.pag.).